STOP THE CYCLE OF BULLYING: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A 13 YR OLD AND HIS MOM

You can’t read a paper, listen to the radio or even watch a television show without hearing something about bullying. More and more people are talking about bullying and I’m glad.

Because nurse bullying is “my thing” I set up a Google alert using the keyword, “bullying”. Every day I get an email from Google with a list of publications and web sources with bullying in the title. 99% of the publications I receive are related to primary school age children. Very little is being written about what happens to these victims or even the bullies when they grow up.

I’ll tell you what happens to some:

1.Victims continue to be victimized or become adult bullies.

2.Bullies continue to bully.

Although childhood bullying is rampant, so is adult bullying. So, what can we learn from childhood bullying that will help us stop adult bullying?

While reading through my Google Alert list of publications, I watched a video about a 13-year-old boy who was being bullied at school to the point where he scheduled his suicide. His mother did her part by placing him under psychiatric care. However, she didn’t stop there. She reached out via the social media superhighway and asked people – strangers – to write her son letters so that he would know that peopled cared; that we weren’t all mean and nasty. She hoped for a few letters but what she got were thousands!!Go MOM!!!

Those letters and the support from experts transformed this young boy into a smiling, hopeful, and optimistic young boy. Those letters helped “bully-proof” him against his current and future tormentors!

Hmmm…what would it look like in the adult world? What lessons can we learn from this 13 year old and his mom?

Here’s what I learned:

1.The effects of bullying are real. Sticks and stones really do hurt and they can make someone feel that their life isn’t worth living.

2.There are more people who care and are kind, considerate and compassionate than people who don’t care and are mean, inconsiderate and hateful.

3.That I need to do my part to reach out and support others who may be victimized. Why? Because I do care, I am considerate and I do have compassion. AND….if you are reading this and can say the same thing about yourself, you need to do the same! Collectively, we can tip the balance.

This mom and her son inspired me to do my part to stop the cycle of bullying – from childhood into adulthood, bullying has no place in our world. Life can be challenging enough! We need to support each other with kind acts. We need to nurture each other with inspiring words. We need to respect each other with love and appreciation. You never know when you might save a life.

Doing my part! Are you with me? Would love to read your comments and find out what you’re doing to stop the cycle of bullying.

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The Healthy Workforce Institute is the global leader in addressing disruptive behavior in healthcare. Through our cadre of services, we provide the strategies, skills, and solutions to address any incidences of disruptive behaviors that show up in healthcare.

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